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In the midst of relentless conflict across Syria and Iraq, heritage sites are being mass-looted by terrorist groups and opportunists. As a result, the illicit antiquities trade is thriving: thousands of invaluable artefacts are being taken from sites for commodification. The destruction of churches, synagogues, mosques and archaeological sites in the Middle East by the Islamic State has been described as “cultural cleansing”, rooted in beliefs of iconoclasm and monotheism. This destruction also eradicates evidence of their own plundering and selling of artefacts for monetary income. The results of these actions are irreversible, creating an epidemic in which our evidence of ancient civilisation is being erased. As conditions only worsen in Syria and Iraq, handfuls of foreign individuals have joined militias to fight against the Islamic State. With border controls tighter than ever, they must be transported covertly. The space within which objects and people are smuggled can be defined as a “grey area”; their identity is stripped and they become invisible. They move like ghosts under the cover of darkness.
2018
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